Gwenyvere Haberdash
by KitLee
Summary: A series about a girl with a big destiny. In the latest chapter - Gwen and her friends unlock a secret at Hogwarts.
1. The Crystal Wand

Gwenyvere Haberdash and the Crystal Wand  
by KitLee  
  
Disclaimer: Hogwarts, its houses, and related terms do not belong to me; they belong to J.K. Rowling. Gwenyvere Haberdash, her brothers Teddy and Alexander, and her parents Thomas and Morgana belong to me; don't use them without my permission.  
  
Author's Note: This is my first Harry Potter epic. I'll write more installments about Gwen if people r/r. Oh, and this has nothing to do with "The Menlo Park Misadventures." I'll try to write a sequel to that ASAP. Please r/r!  
  
*****  
  
Gwenyvere Haberdash was bored. It was summer vacation, and as everyone from school prepared for exciting vacations, Gwen was stuck a home.  
  
At least her brothers would be back. Alexander and Teddy both attended Hogwarts. The Haberdash family had a long wizarding tradition, so it was quite a surprise when they found out that Gwen was a Squib. A Squib. How much more humiliating could it be?  
  
Anyway, that reminded her that it was almost time to go down to Platform 9 3/4 to pick up her brothers. Gwen grabber her old bike and rode down to the station. Her father was at the office, and her mother was at a party, so Gwen was the only one to meet them. It was actually a good thing that only Gwen would be meeting them after their first year at Hogwarts. Mom and Dad still hadn't gotten over Teddy's being put in Ravenclaw and Alexander's being put in Hufflepuff. "At least they're not Squibs," Gwen thought moodily.  
  
Gwen reached the station and found her brothers. "Hi guys!"  
  
"Gwen!" Two twelve-year-old boys hurled themselves at their older sister.  
  
"Where's Mom and Dad?" Alexander asked.  
  
"They - they couldn't make it."  
  
"You mean they didn't want to make it." Teddy said.  
  
Gwen didn't answer. Teddy was right of course, but she didn't want to hurt Alexander. All she said was "Come on guys. You tell me all about it in the cab home."  
  
*****  
  
Alexander and Teddy had long since gone to bed by the time Gwen gave up waiting for her parents to get home. The large grandfather clock chimed midnight as she slowly ascended winding staircase to her third floor bedroom. The whole world seemed to hold its breath as the chimes sounded.  
  
She suddenly stopped on the stairs. "Oh no," she muttered. Her crystal necklace had fallen off. Her mother would be so angry if she knew Gwen had lost it. Once, when Gwen was only five, she'd misplaced her necklace. She didn't even want to think about the rage that had followed. Her mother was furious for weeks and ignored her daughter for months after the incident.  
  
Gwen ran downstairs and searched frantically until she finally found it, wedged underneath the couch. She picked it up and carried it back upstairs. However, this time she paused on the second floor. An eerie glow was coming from her parents' room.  
  
Gwen crept through the dark hall, closer and closer to the door she got. She felt almost rigid with fear; her parents never let her enter their rooms. Every shadow seemed to come alive and leap out to stop her.  
  
Suddenly, another eerie glow began; this time the source was her crystal necklace. A faint humming came from it, as though power buzzed inside the crystal, bursting to come out. The buzzing began to make Gwen's head ring. It became physically painful to approach the door, with every step her head throbbed, and the very beating of her heart caused her great agony. Gwen reached out to turn the doorknob, but just as she did, the floor seemed to fall out beneath her and, everything went black.  
  
*****  
  
Sunlight poured into her bedroom two days later. Lying tucked under the covers for the second day in a row, Gwen still felt weak and shaky from her run in with whatever it was in her parents' bedroom. The House Elves had finally found her, lying there unconscious, and had taken her back to her room. Since then they'd been trying to nurse her back to health.  
  
Alexander and Teddy dashed in. "Morning Gwen."  
  
She raised herself up weakly. "Morning guys."  
  
"You look terrible," Teddy declared.  
  
"Gee, thanks Ted, what a nice thing to say."  
  
"You look a lot better," Alexander said. "But you still look sick."  
  
"So what happened to you Gwen?" Teddy asked, pushing her collection of stuffed animals onto the floor and ploping himself into their chair.  
  
Gwen described the light in their parents' room and her glowing crystal. She told them about the throbbing pain. "It felt as if my brain were exploding," she said.  
  
"Wow," Alexander said. "That sounds horrible."  
  
"So what do Mom and Dad say?" Gwen asked.  
  
"Nothing yet," Alexander replied. "But Mom wants to talk to you when you wake up."  
  
"What about Dad?"  
  
Teddy laughed. "Where do you think he is? He's at work of course."  
  
"So do you want to talk to Mom now?"  
  
Gwen sat all the way up. "I might as well. I mean, I'm up aren't I?"  
  
"You don't have to get up. Mom said she'll come to you. Teddy and I'll go get her." The two boys ran down the stairs to fetch their mother, but Teddy shot her a glance behind him.  
  
A few minutes later, the children's mother, Morgana Malfoy Haberdash entered Gwen's room. Unlike her short, auburn-haired daughter, Morgana Malfoy Haberdash was tall, thin and blond.  
  
"Hello Gwenyvere dear. How are you after your unfortunate - ordeal?"  
  
"I'm fine Mom. Mom, what was that?"  
  
"What was what?" Morgana Haberdash pretended to feign ignorance.  
  
"That light."  
  
"You saw a light?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Well, yeah. What was it?"  
  
Morgana then dropped her act of kindness. "Tell me what you saw Gwenyvere." It was not a request.  
  
"Well, I was going upstairs, it was pretty late, and I saw this light coming from your room, so I walked over to it - "  
  
"You did what!?"  
  
"I walked over to it. Then somehow I just passed out. I was probably just tired." Gwen concluded, leaving out major details on purpose.  
  
"What about your crystal?"  
  
"What? Who said anything about my crystal?"  
  
"Tell me Gwenyvere."  
  
"Okay, okay. It started glowing and humming too."  
  
"Did you take it off?" Morgana snapped.  
  
"Well, yes, but only - "  
  
"How many times have I told you never to remove that crystal Gwenyvere?" Anger flashed like fire in her mother's normally cold eyes.  
  
Gwen stayed silent. She knew that any plea that she made would only anger her mother further. It was best to stay silent when her mother was in one of her rages like this.   
  
But instead of the expected blow up and shouting, Morgana Haberdash just stormed out, leaving a very confused daughter behind.  
  
*****  
  
Gwen had a lot of time to think about the events lately during her additional two days in bed. Somehow her mother knew more than she was letting on.  
  
She thought about other things too during her illness. Gwen hated being sick. Luckily, she rarely was. The last time she'd been this sick was when she was five and had - taken off - the necklace. Gwen bolted up in bed and grabbed her necklace. She could easily pull it up and look at it; the chain was especially long for some reason. The crystal itself was smoky gray. Gwen squinted at it. It looked like there was something inside it. Something red. She dropped the crystal and it fell, being caught by the chain and finally swinging erratically like a pendulum gone mad. There was blood it in.  
  
Just then Teddy and Alexander ran in to see her again.  
  
"Hey Gwen, we - whoa, what's the matter Gwen. You look terrible," Teddy said. The boys skidded to a halt right before her bed.  
  
"Are you okay Gwen?" Alexander asked earnestly. "Is there anything we can do?"  
  
Gwen took several deep breaths to calm herself. "Actually guys, there is something you can do for me. Where's Mom and Dad?"  
  
"They're both out of town. They'll be gone for several weeks, I think." Alexander said.  
  
"Perfect."  
  
*****  
  
Gwen and her brothers spent the next several weeks reading every tome of magic they could get their hands on. First went down into the library, but they found nothing about a crystal like Gwen's.  
  
Next they had to break into their father's office. Again the search seemed in vain. It looked hopeless. Their parents were due back in just two days, and they'd read almost every book in their house.  
  
"It's hopeless." Gwen waved her right arm to encompass her room, now crowded full of books. "We've looked everywhere and their's nothing about it anywhere."  
  
"What about in Mom and Dad's room?" Alexander suggested.  
  
Gwen shuddered. "Oh no. I'm not going back there."  
  
"Of course you wouldn't - we'd go," Alexander said.  
  
"I'm not going to let you guys do that. I am you big sister; I'm supposed to protect you."  
  
"Alexander's right Gwen. We don't have one of the crystals, so maybe their room won't hurt us. In any case, it's worth a shot."  
  
"Okay, fine. But if you start to feel sick, just stop. Promise."  
  
"Promise," they chorused.  
  
*****  
  
Alexander and Teddy nervously crept towards their parents' room. They'd never done anything major like this. They were neither exceptional students nor exceptional athletes. They were used to letting Gwen take care of them. But now she was the one in trouble, and they sure weren't going to let their beloved big sister suffer.  
  
Going down the hall, they experienced what Gwen must have, only to a smaller degree. The buzzing was almost non existent, and the pain wasn't that bad. The door was locked, but Teddy quickly used the "Alohomora" spell to open it. And then they were finally inside.  
  
Oddly enough, they'd never seen their parents' bedroom. And while they'd expected to find something major, it turned out to be a disapointment. It looked like a perfectly ordinary room. The boys still searched the room for books and clues. Alexander tripped and fell near the bed.  
  
"Get up," Teddy hissed.  
  
"Teddy, look!"  
  
Teddy bent down too and was amazed at what he saw. A metal box lay underneath the bed. Set in the lid, however, was what had caught Alexander's attention. A single gray crystal glowed faintly.  
  
The boys lunged for it and carried it and the books back up to Gwen's room. The box was surprisingly heavy.  
  
"Gwen, look what we found!" Alexander exclaimed as he and Teddy dumped it on the bed.  
  
Gwen stared at the crystal on the box and then at the one around her neck. Both had the strange red dot in them that Gwen believed was blood. Surprisingly, the box easily opened when she touched the two crystals together.  
  
Inside lay their mother's crystal wand.  
  
Morgana Malfoy Haberdash didn't have an ordinary wand. The children had only seen it a few times, but they'd heard about it quite a bit. The wand was a family heirloom, she said. It was said to be the most powerful wand in the world.  
  
Teddy saw a book lying inside the box, and he grabbed it up and began reading it. But Gwen could only stare at the beautiful wand. It literally was made out of crystal and not wood. In place of a dragon heartstring, pheonix feather, or unicorn tail hair, there were several strands of auburn hair - just - like - Gwen's.  
  
That broke the spell the wand had over her, and she turned to Teddy who sat engrossed in the book. She and Alexander began to read over his shoulder, until he stopped; Teddy hated that. When he did, Gwen grabbed the book and began to read aloud.  
  
"The Crystal Wand is the Malfoy family heirloom, passed from eldest daughter to eldest daughter. The wand, even without any substance, will magnify one's power. If one chooses to put his or her own hair in it, that will also work." Here Gwen grimaced as she realized that the hair in the wand was indeed her own - no one else in her family had hair like that.  
  
"However, if the woman has a child of enormous talent, that talent may be captured in the wand. Be forwarned: This will drain the child of all of his or her magic. The magic can be replentished with time, but if you want, a simple cloud crystal pendant will forever drain the child of magic." The book went on to describe how to do this, but Gwen didn't care. She knew all she needed to know. Her mother had stolen her magic. And for what?  
  
Teddy grabbed the book and kept reading. "This spell can only be broken if the cloud crystal is destroyed." Alexander grabbed the necklace and began hitting it with a large book. "But since these crystals cannot be broken, simply giving the wand to the person who is being drained will suffice." He looked at his sister and found her not listening to him at all. "Hey Gwen, are you okay?"  
  
She grabbed the wand and felt warmth enter her fingertips. It was as if her entire body had been frozen up until now, and she'd never even known it. She felt more alive now than she ever had. "Yes Teddy. I'm okay."  
  
*****  
  
When their parents returned, the children were there to greet them. Gwen raised her wand, and instantly her mother stared at her with only fire in her eyes.  
  
"Mother, I want answers," Gwen said calmly, clearly, and forcefully.  
  
"Give me that wand Gwen," Morgana insisted, but now it sounded weaker and smaller.  
  
"Mother, why? Why did you do this to me?"  
  
"I said, give me that wand Gwen." Morgana moved menacingly forward.  
  
"You'd better tell her Mom," Alexander piped up. "The Ministry of Magic will be here soon to arrest you."  
  
Morgana spoke to her son, but her eyes never left Gwen. "How very - clever of you. Never forget thought that I, Morgana Malfoy, am more clever than any of you pathetic little - worms could hope to be. Now for the last time Gwen, give me that wand."  
  
"No!" Gwen shouted. Their mother lunged at her, trying to wrestle the wand away from her. Teddy and Alexander grabbed their wands and pointed them at their mother.  
  
"Give it to me Gwen!"  
  
"No! It's my magic, so it's mine!"  
  
"I don't care what your destiny says Gwen, give me that wand." She suddenly lunged for Alexander's wand and pointed it at Gwen. "Drop the wand Gwen."  
  
Their father Thomas seemed to visibly snap back to reality. He raised his wand and pointed it at Morgana. But rather than yell and threat, he yelled "Expelliarmus!"  
  
She flew backwards, dropping Alexander's wand and crashing into the opposite wall.   
  
Thomas moved to stand over her. "You can't win this Morgana," he said. "You may as well just wait until the Ministry comes."  
  
Her cold eyes sparkled maliciously. "Oh really Thomas. And who's going to stop me - you?"  
  
"If I must."  
  
She smiled, but there was no warmth or humor in it. "Well then I guess you loose," she said. She whipped out an old wand - the one she'd gotten as a child but hadn't used since getting the Crystal Wand - and cried "Disapperate!"  
  
The Haberdash family stared at the spot where Morgana had once lain.   
  
Thomas turned to his children. "Oh, children. I had no idea that - can you forgive me?"  
  
The doorbell rang before they could answer him. The Ministry of Magic had arrived, too late.  
  
*****  
  
On September 1, Gwenyvere and her brothers stood together on Platform 9 3/4. Their father was nearby, standing awkwardly. He'd never been a strong or brave man (he'd been in Ravenclaw after all), but he'd always tried to be a good man. But somewhere along the way he'd been swept up by Morgana Malfoy, and in a desperate effort to keep her, he'd sacrificed his children for his work.  
  
Gwen couldn't believe it. Only a few months earlier she'd been riding her bike to the station to pick up her brothers, full of self-loathing because she was Squib. But now, armed with new books and that crystal wand, she was ready to become a real witch.  
  
Right before the train left, when Alexander and Teddy ran off to talk to their friends, Gwen pulled her father aside.  
  
"Dad, about what Mom said about my destiny -"  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"What did she mean? How did she find out?"  
  
"Right after you were born, all of you kids in fact, she had paid a Diviner to come and tell us your futures."  
  
"What did he say about mine?"  
  
"Well, it was a she actually - Sibyll Trewlawney I think was her name. She said that you were destined to face many troubles in your quest to -"  
  
Just then the train whistles sounded. Gwen quickly hugged and kissed her father goodbye, and jumped on the train to go to Hogwarts.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED (MAYBE) . . . 


	2. The Train Ride

Chapter 2 - The Train Ride  
  
Gwenyvere Haberdash lept onto the train only a few seconds before the train actually pulled away from the station. She made her way through the compartments before reaching her brothers and her stuff in the last one.  
  
A few other kids were there sitting apart from her brothers. Gwen sat down and opened one of her new school books "A History of Magic."  
  
One of the girls sitting at the other group walked over to her.  
  
"Hi," she said.  
  
Gwen didn't bother glancing up. "Hi."  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger." The girl paused, waiting for Gwen to respond.  
  
"That's my sister Gwenyvere Haberdash," said one of the boys next to her. "I'm Alexander, and this is my brother Teddy." He pointed at the other boy.  
  
"Are you new at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Oh no," Alexander said. "Teddy and I are second years. He's in Ravenclaw, and I'm in Hufflepuff."  
  
"What about your sister?"  
  
"Well Gwen's new. But she's fifteen. See - "  
  
"It's a long story," Gwen said, finally looking up from her book. "Look, Hermione, I really need to study, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Hermione said going back to her seat.  
  
"So, what'd she say?" Harry asked.  
  
"Nothing. But her brother Alexander said that her name's Gwenyvere and she's fifteen like us. Alexander is a second year Hufflepuff, and the other boy, Teddy, is a second year Ravenclaw."  
  
"Weird," Ron commented. "What's her family name?"  
  
"Haberdash, I think," Hermione said.  
  
"Haberdash, hmm? Now that's really weird," Ron said.  
  
"Why?" asked Harry.  
  
"The Haberdash family has a long history of being in Slytherin. I think they're even related to the Malfoys."  
  
Just then the door swung open, revealing Draco Malfoy and his pals Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"Speak of the devil," Hermione muttered. Ron and Harry braced themselves for a fight.  
  
But Draco and his thugs didn't pay attention to them. Instead he marched over to Gwenyvere and her brothers.  
  
"What are you doing here Squib?" he demanded.  
  
Gwen looked up from her book. "Oh hi Draco."  
  
He and his thugs moved closer to her. "I said, what are you doing here Squib?"  
  
"She's not a Squib!" Alexander piped up.  
  
"Yeah, so bug off Draco," Teddy added.  
  
"I'm going to Hogwarts now," Gwen said calmly.  
  
"Oh yeah," he challenged. "And how are you going to do that without any magic?"  
  
"I have magic," Gwen said. "Watch." She reached into her bag and pulled out the strangest wand Harry and his friends had ever seen. The wand glinted in the train's light and appeared to be made of crystal. None of them could figure out why she would have a wand like that, but Draco seemed to recognize it immediately.  
  
"What are you doing with that?" he snarled. "That's property of the Malfoy family."  
  
"It's my wand now," Gwen said.  
  
"Oh really," Draco said, and then whipped out his own wand. Almost as quickly, Gwen had hers pointed at him. The wand began to emenate an eerie silver light, and the air around it seemed to tremble with power.  
  
They stared at each other, sizing each other up, before Draco finally backed down. His shoulders seemed to slump as he put his wand back in his robes.  
  
"Just kidding," he muttered. To save some face, he snarled, "What'd you think you're looking at Potty and Weasles?" Then he and his goons slunk out of the compartment.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked over at her in interest, but she'd put her wand away and continued to read for the rest of the trainride. 


	3. The First Semester

Chapter 3 - The First Semester  
  
When the train finally arrived at Hogwarts, Gwen shoved her books back in her trunk. Her brothers led her out of the compartment and directed her to Hagrid, the groundskeeper who would be taking her up to Hogwarts. She climbed into an empty boat right away and waited to go.  
  
"Excuse me?" a timid voice asked, "But can we sit there?" A trembling hand pointed at the boat Gwen was sitting in.  
  
"Sure," she said. A small, pale girl stepped into the boat, followed by a boy who looked even older than Gwen herself.  
  
"Hi," the boy said pleasantly. He was a strong contrast to the shaking little girl next to him. "My name's Emmeris Trevin, and that's my little sister Morgan. We just moved to England from the United States. I used to go to Menlo Park there, but my parents wanted me closer to them. Are you a transfer student too?"  
  
"Um, no actually. It's kind of a long story," Gwen said. "What about your sister?"  
  
"Morgan's just a first year, so she's kind of nervous."  
  
Gwen leaned over to the girl. "Don't worry Morgan, I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm new here, but my brothers went here last year, and they really loved it."  
  
The girl barely nodded her acknowledgement of Gwen. Just before the giant Hagrid was about to lead the boats across the lake, and voice hollered "Wait!" A tall thin girl with dark auburn hair ran towards their boat and lept in.  
  
"Hi!" she chirped. "Whew! I thought I was going to miss the boat and have to swim across." She grinned at the others. "Who're you?"  
  
"I'm Emmeris Trevin, and that," he said pointing at this sister, "is my sister Morgan. I'm a transfer student from Menlo Park, and Morgan's a first year."  
  
Gwen found that everyone was looking at her. "Oh, I'm Gwenevere Haberdash. I'm new here too."  
  
"I'm new here too. My name's Bethy - well I guess I should just go by Beth now - Dumbledore," she said.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the Great Hall, anxiously awaiting dinner.   
  
"I hope this doesn't take too long," Ron grumbled. "I'm hungry."  
  
At that cue, Professor McGonagall marched in, leading the first years. Three kids, too tall to be eleven, walked in with them.  
  
"Hey guys," she whispered. "That's the girl from the train."  
  
Professor McGonagall called through the roll, but Harry and Ron didn't pay much attention until she called out "Dumbledore, Elizabeth." Instantly, they and everyone else in the Great Hall leaned forward and stared as a rather tall, thin girl with dark auburn hair pulled into two fat pigtails walked over to the stool and pulled the hat over her head. Almost instantly the hat screamed "Gryffindor!" making her the first one. She walked down the steps to the Gryffindor table, and only then did the eyes stop following her.  
  
She sat down near the front of the table, still watching the Sorting, so Ron, Harry and Hermione did the same. The next surprise came when that girl from the train, "Haberdash, Gwenyvere," was called. She was clearly much older than the other first years, but she walked over and put the hat on like the rest of them. She sat there for quite a while before the hat finally called out "Gryffindor!"  
  
After Gwenyvere, they waited patiently the rest of the students were Sorted. Harry didn't really remember much of it, except that an especially nervous looking blonde girl named "Trevin, Morgan" became a Gryffindor, much to the Slytherin's delight. Finally only two students remained on the stage. One was a tall, solid boy with blond hair. The other was a girl, rather tall and thin with black hair pulled back in a straight braid. She looked very familiar.  
  
"Welcome!" Professor Dumbledore said. "This year, Hogwarts is pleased to welcome two transfer students. They come all the way from Menlo Park School of Magic in America. I hope that everyone tries make them feel at home here. Now," he said, pulling a piece of parchment from his robes, "I'm going to call their names to be sorted." He looked at the parchment and said, "Dumbledore, Victoria."  
  
More whispers filled the hall and everyone stared at her. She marched to the stool with perfect posture, but Harry could see that her cheeks were flaming. She pulled the hat over her head, which shouted "Gryffindor!"  
  
Once "Trevin, Emmeris" had also become a Gryffindor, everyone settled down to eat. At one end of the table, sort of near Harry, Ron and Hermione, Beth, Morgan, Vicky, Emmeris and Gwen were sitting together.  
  
"Well Gwen," Emmeris said, "I'm glad to see at least one friendly face in my house."  
  
"What about me?" Vicky asked from his other side. "Don't I count?"  
  
He grinned. "But you're not friendly."  
  
"Mean," she said. "Maybe I shouldn't help you with your History of Magic homework this year."  
  
"Oh Vic," he said, falling to his knees melodramatically with his hands in a fist as if he were begging, "what will I ever do without you?"  
  
She shoved him playfully. "Oh you," she said. "Get up and eat your dinner."  
  
As Emmeris picked himself up and dug into his dinner, Vicky looked around him. "So what's your story Gwen?"  
  
"Huh? What'd you mean?" Gwen asked, looking up from yet another book.  
  
"Did you transfer?"   
  
"No."  
  
"Well are you a first year, or a - how old are you?"  
  
"I'm fifteen."  
  
"Or are you going to be a fifth year?"  
  
"Professor Dumbledore told me that I'll be doing a lot of independent study this year to catch up to the fifth years. At the end of the year, I'll be taking the O.W.L.s with the rest of you if he and I think I'm up to it."  
  
"Do you think you can handle it? That's a lot of work," Emmeris said.  
  
"Yeah," Gwen said. "I know it'll be hard, but I'm willing to do it."  
  
"We'll help you, right Vicky?"  
  
"I'm not sure you'll want Emmeris' idea of 'help,' but I'll help you."  
  
"Thanks," Gwen said, and she didn't return to her book for the rest of the evening.  
  
*****  
  
The following month went by in the whirl of activity for Gwen. She began the year in all first year classes, and at night her friends Vicky and Emmeris and her brothers Teddy and Alexander helped her get ahead. Mainly it was Vicky and Emmeris who tutored her. For some reason that Gwen didn't completely understand, everyone was so worked up in the Inter-House Competition that they didn't think she should get help from her brothers, who were in different houses.  
  
In fact, Harry and Ron came up to her one day to talk to her about it during lunch. Earlier that morning she had gotten in trouble with Professor Snape and had lost a total of twenty-five points from Gryffindor. All together, she'd lost quite a few points during that first month.  
  
"Hey Gwen," Ron said, "can we talk to you?"  
  
"Sure," Gwen said, looking up from her copy of "Quidditch through the Ages."  
  
"It's just that we were wondering why you never seemed to mind when you lose points."  
  
"Oh. Should I?" she asked.  
  
"Well yes," Ron exclaimed. "The Inter-House Competition is a really big deal."  
  
"What Ron's trying to say," Hermione cut is, "is that it might be good if you would get into the spirit more around here. You know, attend Quidditch matches, try not to loose points from your House, that sort of stuff."  
  
"Look guy," Gwen said, "I know that this is important to you, but it really isn't to me. Ever since I was little, all I ever wanted to do was attend Hogwarts. And now that I'm finally here, I find it ridiculous to spend all my time worrying about Snape taking ten points from Gryffindor."  
  
*****  
  
The other kids at Hogwarts definitely thought that Gwen was a weird one. She was older than any other first year, she studied non-stop, and she didn't care about the House Cup or getting points taken away.  
  
Besides Vicky, Emmeris, her brothers, Beth and Morgan, Gwen really didn't have any other friends. She did like to spend time with Hagrid though.  
  
It was Vicky who'd first introduced her to Hagrid. Friday afternoon, when they didn't have any classes, Vicky and Beth took her down to Hagrid's cottage for tea, taking Emmeris, Morgan, Teddy and Alexander with them.  
  
"You'll love Hagrid," Beth assured her.  
  
"But I have to study," Gwen protested weakly, knowing that she should study but not wanting to on her first free afternoon.  
  
"You can afford to take a little time off," Vicky assured her. "I've never seen anyone study as much as you do."  
  
"Yeah, you know what they say: All work and no play makes Gwen a dull girl," Emmeris said. He was excited about meeting Hagrid for tea; he took his Care for Magical Creatures class, and said Hagrid was "really cool."  
  
"Are you sure we can come down here?" Morgan asked. "Won't he get mad?"  
  
"Nah," Vicky said. "He likes company. Beth and I used to come down here all the time before I went to Menlo Park, and she got sent to our Uncle Apollo's house."  
  
"Why did you get sent to your uncle's house, Beth?" Morgan asked.  
  
"He convinced Mom that Hogwarts was too unsafe for a kid as mischevious as me," Beth said, grinning as she usually did. The girl was, as her father put it, a cross between a whirlwind and a dynamo.  
  
"Teddy and I went to see Hagrid a couple times last year," Alexander piped up. "He's nice. He cheered me up after I got two detentions from Snape."  
  
"I need cheering up," Beth said with a sigh. "I got in so much trouble this morning."  
  
"What'd you do this time Beth?" her sister asked.  
  
"Nothing. Well, nothing that bad. I mean, under the circumstances - "  
  
"She kicked Mrs. Norris down the stairs," Morgan interrupted, knowing that her friend would spend hours telling a story if allowed to.  
  
The boys and Gwen laughed.  
  
"She kept hissing at me," Beth protested. "And she spent the whole week following me around, just waiting for me to screw up."  
  
"Mom and Dad are going to be so mad at you," Vicky warned, but even she was fighting laughter.  
  
"I know, but it was worth it," she said stubbornly.  
  
Tea with Hagrid was wonderful. He asked them all about their classes and their families. And even though Gwen nearly broke a tooth on his rock cakes, she enjoyed the break from her studies. She began going down to see him often, sometimes even by herself.  
  
*****  
  
At the end of the first month, Gwen was called into Professor Dumbledore's office for a meeting.   
  
"Well Miss Haberdash," Dumbledore began, "we are all very impressed by your progress so far this year. I think I speak for everyone hear when I say that you are one of the most disciplined and intelligent students who has even gone to this school. How are you doing?"  
  
"Fine sir," Gwen answered.  
  
"How are you keeping up with such a heavy studyload? My daughters tell me that you never seem to sleep or take a break."  
  
"I'm fine sir, really. Some of my friends are helping me catch up with the fifth years."  
  
"Miss Haberdash, on the basis of your hard work, we believe that you'll be ready to take your O.W.L.s at the end of this year with the other students your age, instead of waiting until next year. Do you want to do that?"  
  
Gwen nodded.  
  
"It means a lot of work, but if you do well on them, you'll be a sixth year next year."  
  
"I think I can do it."  
  
"Good, that's settled. If you need any additional help, you can always consult one of us."  
  
"All right. Thank you. May I go back to dinner now?"  
  
"Certainly."  
  
Gwen ran down the stairs and back into the Great Hall. Dinner was almost over, but she managed to sit down by her friends and grab some dinner.  
  
"So where were you?" Emmeris asked. "You almost missed all of dinner."  
  
Gwen swallowed the mouthful of food she'd just crammed in. "I was talking to Professor Dumbledore."  
  
"Were you in trouble?" Vicky asked teasingly.  
  
"Remember," Beth said, leaning across the table. "Deny, deny, deny!"  
  
Gwen smiled. She adored her friends. They were the most eclectic and wonderful group of kids she'd ever known. After spending her childhood as a social leper due to her lack of magical talent, it was a relief to have friends. "No. He just wanted to let me know that he's letting me take my O.W.L.s at the end of the year."  
  
"What a great honor," Emmeris remarked.  
  
"It'll be nice to have a normal year next year if I do well enough," Gwen said. "No more constant studying. Maybe I'll finally be able to attend a Quidditch match or learn to ride a broom."  
  
"You've never ridden a broom?" Vicky asked incredulously. "Beth and I've been riding brooms since we could walk."  
  
Gwen shrugged. "I never got to before," she reminded them. "Everyone thought I was a Squib." After much deliberation, she'd decided to tell them everything that had happened last summer.  
  
"I guess," Emmeris said. "Do you want us to teach you? Vicky and I have great brooms."  
  
"That's okay. I really should study. I've barely gotten through Intermediate Transfiguration."  
  
"Oh god," Emmeris said.  
  
*****  
  
On Saturday afternoon of that week, Gwen was sitting outside, reading Hogwarts, A History from the library.  
  
The Founders' Chamber  
  
According to legend, when the four founders built Hogwarts,  
they included a specialchamber of power. In there they each  
put a sacred artifact that would protect the school and bind  
the houses together. Goderic Gryffindor placed his Sword of   
Light. Helga Hufflepuff placed her Scales of Justice. Rowena   
Ravenclaw added her Orb of Knowledge. Salazar Slytherin   
contributed his Wand of Power.  
  
Gryffindor's Sword of Light was gold and could cut through any  
substance, including dark spells. Hufflepuff's Scales of   
Justice were made of ebony and could always tell the truth.  
Ravenclaw's Orb of Knowledge was sphere of saphire in which   
all truths could be seen. Slytherin's Wand of Power was made   
of crystal and could either draw power from someone else or   
amplify one's own natural talent.  
  
Now, however, there is no evidence of the Founder's Chamber   
or their treasures. If they once did exist, they probably   
passed into other families or were lost forever.  
  
Trembling, Gwen pulled her wand out of her backpack and stared at it. It certainly fit the description of Slytherin's Wand of Power. "But that's impossible," she thought. "How could a legendary artifact get in my possession?"  
  
*****  
  
Gwen tried to put the passage out of her mind, but it stayed with her throughout the next week and the weeks after that. When she would study for Transfiguration, she would think about it. When she would study for Potions, she would think about. And the same went for every class, especially History of Magic.  
  
The school year pushed on. Rather than getting easier, the classes got tougher. Gwen was determined to catch up to the rest of her class by midterm break, and that left little time for socializing.  
  
A few weeks before Christmas Break, Professor Dumbledore called Gwen into his office once more and told her that beginning after vacation she would be able to attend classes with her peers, although she would still have a lot of catch up to do. That started her thinking about the break. She and her brothers should go home to their father, but she personally would much rather stay there with Vicky and Beth. Emmeris mentioned that he and his sister would be staying too since their parents were going to visit their grandmother in France. Gwen didn't know what to do. But an owl solved this dilemma in a very unusual way.  
  
One morning, Gwen was, as usual, eating and studying at the same time at breakfast. The owls flew in, but she didn't even bother looking up. She never got mail. So she was quite surprised when a brown owl flew near her and dropped an official looking letter into her breakfast. Surprised, she put down her book and opened it.  
  
"Dear Ms. Haberdash," it read.  
  
"I regret to inform you that the other night your father, Thomas Haberdash, was found dead in his home. He seemed to have been the victim of the Killing Curse. There was nothing that could have been done.  
  
"As stated in his will, you and your brothers are now owners of his estate. Enclosed are official documents recognizing you as such. Once again, I am sorry for your loss.  
  
"Sincerely,  
William Davis, Attorney"  
  
Gwen was stunned. She had never thought that her father could ever die. But mostly she felt - numb. And cold. She was guilty for not crying or feeling more remorse, but her father had never been an integral part of her life. He'd always just been that distant male presence who had worshipped her mother. Up until that past summer that is. Then he'd shone himself to be a loving father. But other than that, well, she really didn't have any other great father-daughter memories of him. Quietly, she stood, letting the letter fall to the table. She walked over to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables and pulled her brothers aside. Trying to avoid excess attention, she told them the news. 


	4. The Chamber of Unity

Chapter 4 - The Chamber of Unity  
  
So that Christmas she spent back in London, attending her father's funeral and seeing to the family estate. Most of their things were gone by the time Gwen, Teddy and Alexander got there, magicked away by the Malfoys no doubt. The little that was left they sold or packed to take with them back to Hogwarts. Gwen felt herself moving as if in a dream, having to comfort Alexander and Teddy so much that she was able to suppress her own feelings.  
  
When school resumed, Gwen was prepared to bury herself in her work once more. But her friends kept her from doing so. She got back to school two days early and got everything set back up. It was Vicky who reminded her that she was supposed to start taking classes with the fifth years; it was a good thing too because Gwen had forgotten in all the commotion.  
  
The first class on the first day back was Transfiguration. Gwen walked in as nervous as she had been on her first day at Hogwarts. Although she knew the professors now, she hadn't really gotten to know her peers, although she'd heard about them. Ron, Hermione and especially Harry had gained an almost mystical reputation among the younger students.  
  
She got there early and sat down in the first seat by the door. A few minutes later Vicky and Emmeris arrived and, although they normally sat in the back, joined her at the front of the room. It took a while for the rest of the class to trickle in. Lavander Brown and Parvati Patil arrived giggling and took seats in the middle. Hermione, Ron and Harry arrived, talking loudly. Hermione took the seat next to Vicky, and Ron and Harry moved to the back. Neville Longbottom was the last to arrive, dashing in breathless moments before Professor McGonagall herself entered.  
  
"Welcome back students," she said crisply. "I trust you all had an enjoyable vacation, but it's school now, so let's get back to work. You only have a few months until you take your O.W.L.s." And she was off, lecturing swiftly about advanced Transfiguration. Gwen leaned forward. This was fascinating.  
  
And so Gwen pulled herself out of her gloom with the help of schoolwork and her friends. The work was of course very challenging, requiring hours of work, but Vicky and Emmeris insisted that she have a little fun too. Emmeris took her to see Vicky and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team play. They went to Hogsmeade, and Vicky took them back to the house where her family lived during the summer to get a spare broom for Gwen to borrow. They taught her how to fly and to play Quidditch. But most importantly, they were there for her. Gwen had never before had real friends. The kids at school thought that she was weird, and her parents' wizarding friends' children scorned her because of her apparent lack of magic. But Emmeris and Vicky were true friends, willing to help her with anything.  
  
Which is how they got into their quest during the second semester. They'd only been back a few days when Gwen showed them the passage in "Hogwarts, A History." Vicky owned the book, and she'd never seen it before.   
  
"Weird," Emmeris commented. "I wonder why it's only in this edition?"  
  
Vicky shrugged. "Who knows?" She quickly scanned the passage. "Hmmm. This sounds interesting. You know, Slytherin's wand sounds like yours Gwen."  
  
Gwen leaned forward excited. She hadn't told them her suspicions, wanting them to form their own conclusions. "Really?"  
  
"Sounds too similar to be a coincidence," Emmeris commented. "Didn't you say your mother was a Malfoy?"  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"Well, the Malfoys are a very old wizarding family. They've been Slytherins since the beginning of time. They were probably very loyal to old Salazar too, so it makes sense that the wand was passed on through their family."  
  
"But what about the other families?" Vicky asked. "I mean, I can't think of any specific families that might hold the other items."  
  
"What about your family Vicky?" Gwen asked.  
  
"Maybe," Vicky said after long deliberation. "My family does have a long history of Gryffindors. What about you Emmeris?"  
  
He shrugged. "My family's had plenty in Gryffindor, but a lot in Ravenclaw, not to mention the people like my older brother who didn't even attend Hogwarts. Besides, I can think of plenty of other families with long Gryffindor traditions, like the Potters and the Weasleys."  
  
"I guess it doesn't matter," Gwen said. "After all, the school is just fine now."  
  
"You're probably right," Vicky said.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," Emmeris said. "Still," she added, "It might be fun to keep investigating it."  
  
"I guess," Gwen said. "I mean, I won't have that much schoolwork now that I don't have to try to catch up with you guys as much."  
  
Vicky and Emmeris stared at her. "You really are a mutant," Emmeris said.  
  
*****  
  
So it turned out that the second semester wasn't going to be all that normal for Gwen Haberdash. She and her friends spent their time in the library, pouring over books, trying to find any other mention of the Chamber of Unity.  
  
"This is hopeless!" Gwen exclaimed one afternoon. "We've been at this for weeks, and we still haven't found anything. What we need is a map of the school or a diary of the founders or something!"  
  
"Harry Potter has a map of the school," Emmeris said. "I overheard him and Ron talking about it."  
  
"Oh, you mean the Marauders' Map?" Vicky asked. "I've heard about it. Fred and George showed it to me a couple of years ago when I went to visit Charlie over the summer." She paused for a moment and cocked her head, thinking.  
  
"You look like a dog when you do that," Emmeris told her.  
  
"Shut up," Vicky said, hitting him. "That might work. Do you think he'll give it to you?"  
  
"Probably not," Emmeris admitted. "Harry and I aren't that close."  
  
"We could steal it," Gwen suggested.  
  
"You sound like a Slytherin," Emmeris told her, and Gwen blushed.  
  
"I mean we could just borrow it. We'd give it back."  
  
"I don't think that's necessary," Vicky said. "My dad has lots of maps and junk in his office. We could go there."  
  
"Are you sure he won't mind?" Emmeris asked.  
  
"He probably will. That's why we'll have to sneak in," Vicky said. "But I know how without getting caught. Every day, precisely at 4:00, he goes down to my mom's office and has tea with her. It'll be the perfect time."  
  
"You know," Emmeris commented, "you girls are more corrupted than anyone would suspect."  
  
"So are you in?" Gwen asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
*****  
  
So that was how, the next day at 4:02, they walked as casually as possible up to Professor Dumbledore's office. Emmeris said that if they snuck around and acted like they were up to something, people would suspect.  
  
Once they were in, Gwen looked around in wonder as Vicky moved confidently around, rummaging through drawers. The room was full of all sorts of interesting things, old books, old pictures, a phoenix banging on his cage and staring at them ("Oh that's Fawkes, just ignore him," Vicky told them.), and boxes full of stuff.  
  
They searched quickly for several minutes before finding the object of the query. It lay on a large podium, under glass, which had been covered with a variety of books, papers and pictures (including pictures of Vicky and her sisters as babies, which Vicky took, muttering about burning and blackmail). The map was very detailed, showing every room Gwen knew about, and even some that she didn't. It showed secret passages, trick steps, and hidden doorways. There was writing on the bottom, and Gwen twisted her head so she could read it.  
  
Godric Gryffindor  
Helga Hufflepuff  
Rowena Ravenclaw  
Salazar Slytherin  
- Founders Extraordinare  
  
Each name was written in a different color, corresponding with the houses' colors. The last two words were written with a dramatic flourish in silver.  
  
Vicky meanwhile was carefully searching the map for any sign of the Chamber of Secrets. If that was marked, the Chamber of Unity would probably be marked too. She found the right bathroom that led to it, but there were no marks indicating a secret chamber. She pulled out her wand and began tapping it, muttering spells to reveal anything hidden. The only thing she managed to reveal was a secret passage between the offices for the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw heads of house. Vicky glanced up to see if her friends had found anything caught sight of Gwen's wand.  
  
"Hey Gwen," she said. "Try tapping the map right about here." Vicky pointed to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.  
  
Gwen tapped it asking, "Should I say a spell or somethng?"  
  
As soon as her cystal wand touched the parchment there, ink bloomed, finally forming the tiny words "Chamber of Secrets, Parseltongue here." A little arrow pointed to the sink.  
  
"Weird," Emmeris commented. He was about to move his wand over the parchment when they heard a voice behind them.  
  
"Well, well, well, I see that you've found our map."  
  
They three kids spun around and stared behind them, seeing four ghosts. From the way they were dressed and the way they'd talked, Vicky assumed that they were the founders.  
  
"Who are you?" Emmeris asked.  
  
"Why Emmeris, don't you know? We're the founders," one of the men said.  
  
"Your Gryffindors get dumber every year," one of the women said quietly to him.  
  
"Rowena . . ." the man, Gryffindor, said warningly. "Don't start any sort of competition here."  
  
Ravenclaw flashed him a smile. "What did I do?"  
  
"Now now Rowena dear," the other woman said, "we must stick to the matter at hand." She floated towards the students and stuck out her right hand. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Helga Hufflepuff, and these are my friends."  
  
"I think they've figured that out Hufflepuff," the other man said, drawling.  
  
"Oh Salazar! I'm just trying to be polite." To the children she added. "That's Salazar Slytherin, that's Rowena Ravenclaw, and that's Godric Gryffindor." She pointed at each one in turn. "We are the founders of Hogwarts."  
  
"I already said that," Gryffindor said.  
  
"I'm just trying to be thorough!" Hufflepuff insisted. "These three children look terribly frightened. *Someone* needs to be friendly."  
  
"Are - are you ghosts?" Vicky asked.  
  
"Sort of," Ravenclaw said, interrupting Hufflepuff. "You see, after we built the school we decided that it needed some very strong protections from the outside world. The best way to do that was to leave little bits of ourselves around to guard it. And we've remained throughout the years."  
  
"So where did you put these bits of yourselves?" Vicky asked. "In the pictures?"  
  
"Only very little bits, you know, to keep an eye on things. No, most of us, most of our essence, we put inside the Chamber of Unity. We know that you're looking for it."  
  
"And you should keep looking for it. Stick to it," Hufflepuff interrupted. "I for one am glad that the time has come. It's been so long, and I fear that the spells are decaying without our weapons . . ."  
  
"Time for what?" Gwen asked.  
  
". . . Although I don't have one. I wonder why not? After all - " Hufflepuff mused, oblivious to Gwen's question.  
  
"Helga, she asked you a question!" Godric said. To Gwen he said kindly, "You need to talk loudly if you want to get her attention when she's rambling like that."  
  
"Um, thanks," Gwen muttered. "Time for what?" she asked again, louder this time.  
  
"Hmmm. Oh, right. Time for you."  
  
"Me?" Gwen asked.  
  
"Well not you specifically. All of you," Slytherin said. "You are the chosen ones."  
  
"The what?" the three of them chorused, looking at each other in confusion.  
  
"The children of destiny," Slytherin continued. "The ones destined to save Hogwarts."  
  
"How are we supposed to do that?" Gwen asked. "We're just students."  
  
"Just students? Ha! Was Tom Riddle just a student when he began studying the Dark Arts? Was Harry Potter just a student when he managed to thwart Lord Voldemort? Hmmmm? Students can do anything, if not more, than what grown people can do." Gryffindor said.  
  
"According to the prophesy," Ravenclaw said, "three students, all strong in magic, will arrive at Hogwarts unusually, will find our weapons and will return them to the Chamber of Unity, restoring Hogwarts' protective spells."  
  
"But why us?" Vicky asked.  
  
Slytherin gave them a you're-so-stupid look. "Because you are our heirs, of course!"  
  
"You're heirs!" Emmeris asked. "What do you mean?"  
  
Slytherin sighed, hating to explain things. "Each one of you three represents each one of our ideal students. Well, except Hufflepuff's ideal student. You are our figurative descendents."  
To the other ghosts he said, "I see that *my* student is the only one who has already gotten the item."  
  
"Who's your student?" Emmeris asked, but Gwen already knew the answer.  
  
"Me," she said quietly.  
  
"Exactly," Slytherin said. "You are Gryffindor's student, and Vicky is Ravenclaw's."  
  
"So why were we all put in Gryffindor? Shouldn't we be in those houses?" Vicky asked.  
  
"We debated over that long and hard," Ravenclaw told her. "We knew that you should all be in the same house, or else you would never learn to work together. We couldn't put you in Hufflepuff, because you just wouldn't fit. Only Gwen fits in Slytherin, but the other students, her cousin in particular, would have tried to stop her from fulfilling her destiny. And all three of you fit better into Gryffindor than Ravenclaw, although I still think you should have been put in there." Ravenclaw glared at Gryffindor. "But Godric insisted on it being his house."  
  
"But the sorting hat put us in Gryffindor, not you," Gwen protested.  
  
"My dear girl," Hufflepuff said, "how do you think the sorting hat know which house to put the students in? We tell it of course."  
  
Vicky frowned, thinking hard. "But how can I be Ravenclaw's heir. My family, both sides, has a long tradition of being in Gryffindor."  
  
"That doesn't matter," Ravenclaw explained. "The important thing is who you are, not who your family is. And you are a Ravenclaw, bright and dedicated."  
  
"Why do we even need to find the items?" Gwen asked. "Hogwarts is fine."  
  
"No it isn't," Slytherin said sharply. "It's divided, the students and the spells. If someone or something even averagely powerful were to attack Hogwarts, the school would crumble. Everything would break up even more than it is right now. And we are not going to have our lives' work be destroyed because the students could work well together."  
  
"The spells follow the students' hearts," Hufflepuff explained. "When the school is unified, the spells become unified as well. But when the school is divided, the spells become divided. Finding the artifacts are returning them to the chamber can force the spells to become unified, making the students follow."  
  
"So where are these items?" Emmeris asked. "And how do we find them?"  
  
"Gwen already has mine," Slytherin said. "And Hufflepuff's scales never left the chamber. They're still waiting patiently for the rest, always loyal."  
  
"My sword," Gryffindor said, "is hidden in the castle, just like Rowena's orb."  
  
"We can't tell you where it is," Ravenclaw added, "because that is part of this test. We just wanted to clear some things up for you and to tell you to keep searching for the items."  
  
The ghosts began to fade out.  
  
"Remember . . ." Gryffindor said faintly.  
  
". . . never . . ." Hufflepuff added.  
  
". . . give . . ." Ravenclaw whispered.  
  
". . . up . . ." Slytherin breathed, right before they all faded out.  
  
*****  
  
After seeing the founders and hearing what they had to say, Gwen, Emmeris and Vicky redoubled their efforts. Their schoolwork began to slip, no longer did Vicky do her homework early, or Gwen work ahead, or Emmeris get straight A's. They had something more important to worry about.  
  
They'd taken the map out of Dumbledore's office right before he returned, and he hadn't noticed yet. Or if he had noticed, he hadn't said anything. Every night until late and every free second of every day they pored over it, running their wands across it, whispering spells and looking through Professor McGonagall's collection of crystals. And still there was nothing.   
  
They were running out of time. In only a few months they would be taking their O.W.L.s.  
  
"This is hopeless!" Emmeris exclaimed. "All we ever find is that stupid passageway connecting Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."  
  
Vicky stared at the parchment. "I know! You'd think -- wait a sec! Maybe that's where they hid their items."  
  
"I don't know. Are you sure?"  
  
"Sort of. And anyway, it's the only lead we have."  
  
*****  
  
So the trio snuck into Professor McGonagall's office one morning during Spring Break, when everyone else was at breakfast. Their stomachs grumbled in complaint, but they ignored them.  
  
Vicky and Emmeris went over every inch of that room before finally finding the entrance. A small golden lion was etched just to the right of the fireplace. Emmeris stared at it, and taped it with his wand.  
  
"Open up," he said, in mock gravity.  
  
So no one was more surprised than he was when the lion nodded. The tiny gold jaws opened wider and wider until the trio stood facing a large opening, large enough for them to crawl through.  
  
"Cool," Emmeris whispered. Without hesitation he jumped head first in. Vicky and Gwen looked at each other.  
  
"We should follow him," Vicky said.  
  
"Yeah, we should."  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Ready."  
  
"On three," Vicky counted. "1 . . . 2 . . ." She jumped in feet first after him, yelling "3!"  
  
Gwen took a deep breath and plunged in after them.  
  
*****  
  
Gwen found herself and the others in a large, barren chamber. Right above her stretched the tunnel back up to Professor McGonagall's office. The other two were standing, examining the barren chamber for clues.  
  
"Found anything yet?" Gwen asked, standing up and dusting herself off.  
  
"Not yet," Vicky replied. "This room is completely empty, with no ways in or out besides the one we fell through."  
  
"But there has to be something," she insisted. "Try using your wands," she urged them. "You are the heirs of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."  
  
So Vicky and Emmeris went over every inch of the chamber, tapping it with their wands, while Gwen stood by impatiently. Finally, Emmeris scrawled "Gryffindor" in the packed dirt walls. Instantly a door formed out of the wall. When the trio opened it, they found a long passageway.  
  
"I wonder why my wand didn't work when I did that," Vicky mused.  
  
"Probably because this is the Gryffindor end of the chamber," Gwen said. "It didn't work for me either."  
  
They cautiously made their way down the passage, keeping an eye out for possible traps and threats. With surprising ease, they were able to walk halfway down the hall, to where it opened up into a large round chamber. On one side was a red chest, on the other side there was a blue chest. Emmeris approached the red chest, and Vicky approached the blue.  
  
Emmeris hestitantly reached out to touch it. Vicky, seeing him, followed suite. They stood like that, frozen in place, for several minutes. Gwen had no idea the mental turmoil they went through during that time.  
  
*****  
  
Emmeris found himself in a dark tunnel. All he had with him was his wand. Immediately he lit the tip of his wand with a spell, enabling him to see in the darkness. Unfortunately, the light did nothing to pierce the deepening gloom around him. All he could see was a set of rules pinned to the walls. It was a test of his courage. At the end of the passageway he would find the red chest, with Gryffindor's Sword of Light tucked inside. But to get it, Emmeris would have to cross the tunnel while beasts and monsters attacked him. "Better get this over with," he thought, running into the mist.  
  
Vicky stood at the edge of a wide chasm. In the middle of the canyon stood a small platform. On it stood the blue chest. The air between the land and the platform was full of colored blocks. The blocks were constantly moving and flashing. Nearby there was a pole with rules printed on them. "It's a game," Vicky thought grimly. "A puzzle." Well that was fine. Vicky was good at puzzles.  
  
Emmeris surged through, stopping only with his wand. Emmeris had extinguished the light spell, so he could use it for other spells, but this left him entirely in the dark. Unknown shapes flew, slithered and ran at him. Emmeris fought them, and cast spells to disable them, all while resisting all impulse to run away. If he took just one step backwards, he would never get the sword.  
  
Vicky quickly memorized the rules. She could only stand on certain blocks, and for certain lengths of time. She used her wand to scratch marks in the ground to figure out how fast it would take her to walk and to jump across the blocks. This wasn't a time for drastic action; it was a time for careful planning. Then she levitated herself and watched the blocks move. Vicky knew that there was a pattern; there had to be. If she could discover the pattern, she could get that orb.  
  
Emmeris plunged on, past the dangerous creatures - chimera, hydra, werewolves, and more. Finally he had reached the end. He could see the red chest, and the sight of it filled him with hope. But between him and the chest was his worst nightmare. A towering figure, constantly changing shape, dark and powerful, stood between Emmeris and his prize. Emmeris gripped his wand tighter. "You can do it," he told himself, "you're a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors are brave."  
  
Vicky finally spotted the pattern. She knew where to step and when. She floated down to the beginning, a block in the far corner, from which she could trace a complete path to the chest. For several moments she stood frozen with fear and indecision. She'd only get one chance at this. But her confidence in her mind prevailed. When the next cycle began, Vicky stepped onto the block.  
  
And then the villian was slain. Emmeris was victorious. He'd never stepped back, never run away. And now he could open the chest. He lifted the heavy lid with ease. With a dreamlike quality he pulled the glowing sword of the chest. It gleamed with power and potential, eager to cut through the dark arts. He blinked, and the vision was over. He'd done it.  
  
And then Vicky made the last hop onto the platform. She'd done it. She'd figured out the pattern, never wavered from her analysis. And now she could open the chest. The lid lifted up with ease. A shining sphere, made of delicate, brilliant blue saphire lay in the chest. Vicky pulled it out and saw mists move within it, eager to form themselves into the answer to whatever question she posed. She blinked, and the vision was over. She'd done it.  
  
*****  
  
"What happened?" Gwen asked eagerly.  
  
"There were monsters --" Emmeris began.  
  
"I had to solve a puzzle --" Vicky started at the same time.  
  
They looked at each other. "It was a challenge, to test us," they chorused.  
  
"Wow," Gwen said. "But come on, we have to go."  
  
Vicky and Emmeris gathered up their items, and the trio walked out of the chamber. When they got back to the room with the hole they'd fallen through, they found a silver rope hanging through the opening. When they climbed out though, no one was there.  
  
Gwen wanted to immediately go to the Chamber of Unity and restore the spells, but Vicky and Emmeris convinced her to wait until the next day. They were tired, emotionally, and had tons of work to do. So they headed back to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"I don't know about you guys," Emmeris said, "but sure could use a nap."  
  
Vicky yawned. "A nap sounds good to me too."  
  
Gwen just smiled at them. "I'm not tired at all."  
  
"Well you weren't fighting monsters," Emmeris said.  
  
"Or solving puzzles," Vicky added, yawning again.  
  
"I'd better study for my O.W.L.s then," Gwen said.  
  
"Damn overachievers," Emmeris teased, "Making the rest of us look bad."  
  
So Vicky and Emmeris left Gwen studying in the Common Room. If they'd known what would have happened in that one day, they probably would have gone ahead and restored the spells right away.  
  
*****  
  
Gwen studied for a while, but she felt to antsy to sit still and re-read her notes. She wanted to be doing something. They'd been gone for so long that everyone had already finished breakfast, but no one besides the three of them was in Gryffindor. So Gwen decided to get up and see where everyone else was.  
  
It turned out that the entire rest of the school was at the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. The match was quite heated, especially because it would determine who would be playing Gryffindor in the final match. Gwen ran into Harry, Ron and Hermione.  
  
"You can sit over here with us," Hermione offered. Gratefully, Gwen sat down. She wanted some company and excitement, and the Quidditch match provided both. It was something she'd missed that year, with all the studying and searching for the Chamber of Unity. Gwen regreted not getting to know her peers that year.  
  
So she, Ron, Harry and Hermione cheered and yelled during the match. They were hoped that Ravenclaw would be playing Gryffindor.  
  
Draco Malfoy wasn't on the team anymore, and he and his gang sauntered over during the match to bother Potter and his gang. But when he saw Gwen, his annoyed face twisted into a different, more passionate emotion. Pure rage.  
  
"Squib!" he spat. "Bitch!"  
  
"Nice to see you too Draco," Gwen said politely. Underneath her robe, her hand grabbed her wand, just in case. She would miss it next year, since she had to set it in the Chamber permanently.  
  
He glared at her with such deep hatred that everyone around her scooted away, fearing Draco's rage. Even Ron, Harry and Hermione looked uncomfortable.  
  
Even so, Harry said, "Back off Draco. We're trying to watch the game."  
  
Gwen returned the glare force for force. That too frightened the students around them. The air seemed to crackle with anger and energy, and everyone knew that it was about to explode. Sure enough, it did.  
  
Draco punched Gwen, hard in the face. She whipped out her wand, but Draco was expecting such an action.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" he shouted with glee. Gwen flew back, and her wand, her -- Slytherin's -- precious crystal wand, flew out of her hand, and into Draco's. He pointed it menacingly at her.  
  
"You -- all year you've disgraced the Malfoy name. Being in Gryffindor! Making friends with that trash!"  
  
Gwen sat up, looking at him, but no longer challenging him. She'd seen him angry -- not this angry before, but almost -- and she knew better than to interrupt his tirade.  
  
Draco held the wand above his head. Neither he nor Gwen noticed, but the Quidditch match had literally stopped. Green light crackled between her and the wand, crawling all over both. Her short auburn hair began to stand on end.  
  
"This is for all that!" he shouted. And then he snapped the wand in half. Green fire poured out of the wand, burning Draco. He yelped and threw the wand to the ground. But Gwen didn't notice this. All of her power was tied in with that wand, and when it broke, so did her magic. She fainted dead away, and without the strength to sit up, she tumbled down the bleachers, her wand close behind.  
  
*****  
  
Gwen stood in a round chamber, the Chamber of Power, with only Salazar Slytherin. Only it wasn't Slytherin the ghost. He was real flesh and blood person, or at least that's how he looked.  
  
"I let you down," Gwen whispered.  
  
"How?" he asked cooly.  
  
"I lost the wand. Draco broke it," she explained meekly.  
  
Slytherin laughed. "Do you think I would have left my wand susceptible to physical harm? Of course not!"  
  
"But I saw it break, at least I think I did."  
  
"Oh, it broke. But as we speak it is healing itself up."  
  
"What happened?" Gwen asked groggily, releaved that the founder wasn't going to yell at her.  
  
"When the wand broke, your magic was released back into your keeping. You no longer need it."  
  
"Oh," Gwen said, releaved. "She sat down on the ground. So is this a dream?"  
  
"A vision," Slytherin said. "In a short time, you will regain consciousness."  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"If you don't wake up first," Slytherin responded.  
  
"Why are you so different from how I imagined you? You're so much nicer."  
  
"Remember a few things Gwen. First, you are my heir, so I am concerned with your welfare. Second, the part of me here in this vision is the part in the Chamber of Unity, which also happens to be the part of me that cares very deeply for this school, my life's work. Third, after being dead for so long, some of my views have mellowed a bit. Death leaves so much time to review one's actions in life. Fourth -"  
  
But Gwen never found out what fourth was, because at that moment, everything faded out, and when she opened her eyes, she was looking at the ceiling in the hospital wing. She felt different, more powerful, more magical.  
  
"Hey, you're up," Emmeris said. "We were worried about you."  
  
"What happened?" Vicky asked.  
  
"I spoke with Slytherin. My wand's fine, isn't it?"  
  
"Well, yes. It's the strangest thing. Everyone at the Quidditch game saw Draco break it, but now it's as if it repaired itself." Vicky said.  
  
"Did Slytherin tell you that?" Emmeris asked. Gwen nodded. "What else did he tell you?"  
  
"He said that my magic isn't tied to the wand anymore," Gwen said.  
  
"Well that's good," Emmeris said.  
  
"Hey, this summer we cam buy you a new one at Diagon Alley," Vicky suggested.  
  
Gwen smiled. "That'd be nice. I'd like it. Thanks."  
  
"No problem," Emmeris said. "What are friends for?"  
  
*****  
  
Apparently friends were also for sneaking each other out of the hospital wing, because that's what the trio did that night. They all had a strong feeling that they needed to reopen the Chamber of Unity soon.  
  
It wasn't hard to find. At the back of the stage in the Great Hall there was the entrance. Vicky asked the sphere. She could ask it any question and it would answer instantly. Sometimes with pictures, but most often with words. The trio raised their wands and declared "United we stand," to open the door.  
  
The Chamber was circular, with a golden circle floating in the air, cut at four points by four marble pedestals, each of which had a colored chest in which to rest the objects.  
  
Once inside they saw Hufflepuff's Scales of Justice in the yellow chest. They were black, made of ebony. The two scales were more like fish scales than like weighing scales. When they held them, they got a vague sense of the truth. Obviously the feeling would be stronger for the Heir of Hufflepuff, whoever that would be.  
  
The three moved to their respective pedestals. Carefully and respectfully, Emmeris placed his sword in the red chest, and Vicky placed her orb in the blue chest. Gwen sadly replaced her wand. She would miss it; it had gotten her through her entire first year at Hogwarts.  
  
Then they sealed up the chests. The instant they did that, the circle began to glow, radiating warmth and security. The trio didn't know how, but they knew that the castle was safe once more.  
  
*****  
  
After that, the rest of the year passed quickly and uneventfully. Gwen found a new wand mysteriously waiting for her when she returned to her room, so she was able to take her O.W.L.s and do quite well on them.  
  
*****  
  
Right before they left, as they were the last to leave Gryffindor, the ghosts reappeared.  
  
"Congratulations!" Hufflepuff exclaimed. "You did it!"  
  
"I knew they would Helga," Slytherin said. "You should have too."  
  
"Why doesn't Hufflepuff have an heir?" Gwen asked.  
  
"Well, because I don't need one. My item never left the chamber. Also, the loyalty and fairness characteristic of my students is in each on of you. And --"  
  
"All right Helga," Ravenclaw interrupted. "They get the point." She smiled. "Congratulations children. You did it."  
  
"Well, I guess there's no more reason for you all to be in my house," Gryffindor said.  
  
"What?!" the trio exclaimed.  
  
"You were only all in Gryffindor because you needed a place to become friends. But now that you are friends, and you have restored the chamber, we'll put you in the houses you were meant for."  
  
"So I get to stay in Gryffindor?" Emmeris asked.  
  
"And I go to Ravenclaw?" Vicky asked nervous about her parents' impending surprise.  
  
"And I go to Slytherin," Gwen groaned. She couldn't stand the thought of sharing a house with her ratlike cousin.  
  
"Yes," Gryffindor said.  
  
"It'll be all right guys," Emmeris said. "After all, we'll still have each other."  
  
"Yeah, I guess it won't be so bad," Vicky said.  
  
"I just hope Draco doesn't kill me," Gwen said.  
  
"You'll be fine. We'll help you," Vicky assured her.  
  
"We can do anything together," Emmeris said.  
  
"Yup," Vicky said.  
  
Gwen's mouth turned up at the corner in a small smile. "You're right."  
  
The three of them turned and marched down the stairs, ready to face anything. 


End file.
